Franklin High School Advances to Schematic Design Phase

July 27, 2011

Massachusetts School Building Authority Announces Franklin High School Advancing to Schematic Design PhaseSchematic Design Phase Narrows Project Alternatives to a Clearly Defined Design

BOSTON, MA – State Treasurer Steven Grossman, Chairman of the Massachusetts School Building Authority (“MSBA”) and Katherine Craven, MSBA Executive Director, announced today that the MSBA Board of Directors voted to proceed into schematic design to replace the existing Franklin High School with the construction of a new high school on the existing site as part of the MSBA’s Model School Program.

The agreed upon design enrollment for the new model high school will be for 1,650 students in grades 9 through 12. The MSBA and Franklin will continue to work in collaboration to produce detailed renderings to determine a mutually agreed upon project scope and budget.

“Our Model School Program has saved communities across the Commonwealth valuable time and money. I am pleased Franklin’s needs are a good fit for this program and that they can take advantage of this potential savings while providing the students of Franklin High School with a modern learning environment that fully supports the district’s educational plan,” said State Treasurer Steven Grossman.

“I look forward to continuing our work with Franklin during this next stage in the process to build a new model school that meets MSBA guidelines,” said Katherine Craven, Executive Director of the MSBA.

The MSBA’s Model Schools Program effectively adapts and re-uses design elements from successful, recently-constructed schools, simplifying the design process, reducing the amount of time projects are in the design phase, and lowering design fees. Using elements of a previously designed Model School allows projects to begin construction faster and reduces construction costs for the project. At least a year of design work can be saved by using a Model School.

The MSBA strives to find the right-sized, most fiscally-responsible, and educationally-appropriate solutions to create safe and sound learning environments. In its six year history, the MSBA has made more than $7.9 billion in reimbursements to cities, towns, and regional school districts for school construction projects. These timely payments have saved municipalities over $2.9 billion in avoided local interest costs and have provided much needed cash flow to communities in these difficult economic times.